Construction has begun on our new organ, set to be installed in time for Easter 2016!

Update, January 21, 2016: We are three and a half weeks away from the beginning of installation. The truck with the organ parts will arrive on Sunday, February 14; everything will be unloaded on Monday, February 15, and then installation will begin. Last week, we demolished the platform on which the electronic organ speakers used to sit. If you see a speaker peeking out over the false wall, it's because we had to move them out onto the new organ platform in order to facilitate demolition. This week, we are re-routing various audio and video cables along the ceiling in order to get them out of the way before organ installation begins.

Update, October 14, 2015: The steel frame for the organ is in place behind the false wall! Come up after Mass and take a look if you get the chance.

Once chests are drawn in CAD, a full-scale plot of the chest is printed on Mylar, and laid over the chest's toeboard. Here, organbuilder Jonathan Ortloff checks over the plot as it's laid out on the chest before marking and drilling:

Bart Dahlstrom punches through the Myalr onto the toeboard, marking the centers of all holes to be drilled:

Bart then drills out the toeholes in the toeboard, according to a hole size schedule for the pipes:

In order to provide a smooth seat for the toe of the pipes, the toeholes are countersunk and burned with a tapered steel burning tool. Lots of smoke!

Update, September 2, 2015: All of Jonathan's previously-scheduled projects being complete, he and his team are now working full-time on our organ. See (below) some pictures of construction in progress. The man in the pictures is Bart Dahlstrom, and he is working on the windchest (the last place the air goes before it goes into the pipes) for some low notes.

Update, July 22, 2015: Some of the first pipes are arriving at the organbuilder's shop. This morning, he attended a meeting of our construction team via video call. Photos of the first pipes are forthcoming.